‘Honest goods’ ... Dee Duncan’s Keyston Bros. embodies the Auburn Creed Dan “Dee” Duncan, President and CEO of Keyston Bros., isn’t the stereotypical image of today’s entrepreneur — he didn’t start a new company out of his garage or turn an idea into a multimillion-dollar business seemingly overnight. But when Dee and his wife Ann purchased a struggling, 133-year-old leather, fabrics and textiles business back in 2001, an entrepreneurial mindset and business development process was exactly what was called for. “When we acquired Keyston Bros., it was really on the ropes — the previous owners had pretty much run it into the ground,” said Duncan. “But we saw a ton of untapped potential there and felt that it was a sleeping giant that could be awakened under the right leadership, someone with the right spirit — an entrepreneurial spirit.” The Harbert College of Business sat down with Dee as part of its Harbert Entrepreneur Spotlight initiative to hear how he and his wife Ann leveraged an entrepreneurial mindset — and the Auburn Creed — to triple the size of the now 150-year-old vibrant global business.
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